20 research outputs found
The effect of training intensity on implicit learning rates in schizophrenia
Cognitive impairments in learning and memory are core symptoms of schizophrenia, associated with reduced self-reported quality of life. The most effective treatment of cognitive impairments is drill and practice cognitive training. Still, to date no study has investigated the effect of varying the frequency of training on cognitive outcomes. Here we utilized a verbal memory based language learning task, tapping into implicit cognitive processes, to investigate the role of training intensity on learning rates in individuals with schizophrenia. Data from 47 participants across two studies was utilized, one with a daily training regimen over 5 days and the other with a more intensive schedule of 5 sessions delivered over 2 days. The primary outcome measure was the change in implicit learning performance across five sessions, quantified with the Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC). Participants in the daily training group showed improved performance compared to the intensive group only at session 4. This is the first study to show that implicit learning rates are influenced by training intensity, with daily sessions outperforming a more intensive regimen; a period of consolidation overnight may be necessary to optimize cognitive training for individuals with schizophrenia
The importance of pro-social processing, and ameliorating dysfunction in schizophrenia. An FMRI study of oxytocin
Schizophrenia is often a severe and debilitating mental illness, frequently associated with impairments in social cognition that hinder individuals' abilities to relate to others and integrate effectively in society. Oxytocin has emerged as a putative therapeutic agent for treating social deficits in schizophrenia, but the mode of action remains unclear. This placebo-controlled crossover study aimed to elucidate the neural underpinnings of oxytocin administration in patients with schizophrenia. 20 patients with schizophrenia were examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging under oxytocin (40 IU) or placebo nasal spray. Participants performed a stochastically rewarded decision-making task that incorporated elements of social valence provided by different facial expressions, i.e. happy, angry and neutral. Oxytocin attenuated the normal bias in selecting the happy face accompanied by reduced activation in a network of brain regions that support mentalising, processing of facial emotion, salience, aversion, uncertainty and ambiguity in social stimuli, including amygdala, temporo-parietal junction, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus and insula. These pro-social effects may contribute to the facilitation of social engagement and social interactions in patients with schizophrenia and warrant further investigation in future clinical trials for social cognitive impairments in schizophrenia
The importance of pro-social processing, and ameliorating dysfunction in schizophrenia. An FMRI study of oxytocin
Schizophrenia is often a severe and debilitating mental illness, frequently associated with impairments in social cognition that hinder individuals' abilities to relate to others and integrate effectively in society. Oxytocin has emerged as a putative therapeutic agent for treating social deficits in schizophrenia, but the mode of action remains unclear. This placebo-controlled crossover study aimed to elucidate the neural underpinnings of oxytocin administration in patients with schizophrenia. 20 patients with schizophrenia were examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging under oxytocin (40 IU) or placebo nasal spray. Participants performed a stochastically rewarded decision-making task that incorporated elements of social valence provided by different facial expressions, i.e. happy, angry and neutral. Oxytocin attenuated the normal bias in selecting the happy face accompanied by reduced activation in a network of brain regions that support mentalising, processing of facial emotion, salience, aversion, uncertainty and ambiguity in social stimuli, including amygdala, temporo-parietal junction, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus and insula. These pro-social effects may contribute to the facilitation of social engagement and social interactions in patients with schizophrenia and warrant further investigation in future clinical trials for social cognitive impairments in schizophrenia
Manic/hypomanic symptoms induced by atypical antipsychotics: A review of the reported cases
The widespread use of atypical antipsychotics (APs) in clinical practice
has advanced the pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia regarding treatment
resistant cases as well as the negative symptoms of the disorder.
Atypical antipsychotics manifest a favourable side effect profile
compared to the conventional APs. Atypical APs are also being used as
adjunct therapy or monotherapy in patients with manic episodes of
bipolar and schizoaffective disorder as well as in patients with
psychotic (delusional) depression. On the other hand, atypical APs are
also used in combination with (selective) serotonin reuptake inhibitors
[(S) SRIs] in the treatment of resistant depression. Shortly after the
introduction of atypical APs several cases of manic/hypomanic symptoms
during treatment with these compounds have been described in the
literature. The reported cases and the possible pathogenetic mechanisms
involved in their occurrence are reviewed and discussed. (c) 2005
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Can cognitive deficits differentiate between schizophrenia with and without obsessive-compulsive symptoms?
Background: The frequent occurrence of obsessive compulsive symptoms
(OCS) in the course of schizophrenia and their impact on the functional
outcome of the illness underlie the suggestion that the presence of OCS
represents a separate subtype of schizophrenia, with a distinct clinical
presentation and prognosis and specific neurobiological characteristics.
This study investigated whether the presence of OCS in schizophrenia is
associated with worse cognitive functioning in the domains of processing
speed, executive functions and visuospatial memory. We also explored
whether the degree of impairment in any of these cognitive domains could
predict group membership (i.e. Schizophrenia with OCS [Sch-OCS] and
Schizophrenia without OCS) and if there was a relationship between
cognitive functioning and severity of OCS within the Sch-OCS group.
Methods: Forty patients with schizophrenia, 20 with and 20 without OCS,
individually matched for age, gender, years of education and severity of
psychotic symptoms and 20 healthy controls underwent a comprehensive
neuropsychological assessment.
Results: Only lower performance in processing speed discriminated
patients with OCS from patients without OCS. Processing speed impairment
not only classified patients in OCS or non-OCS group but was also
independent of the severity of OCS symptoms.
Conclusions: The notion of additive effects of both schizophrenia and
OCD on the structural and functional integrity of the brain circuits
that support cognitive functions warrants further investigation in
longitudinal neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies with larger
samples and sufficient variation in the severity of OCS. (C) 2014
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved